Making an altar is an important and special way for me to create a sacred space where I can ground in the present, let go of the the past, set intentions for the future and manifest them into existence.
So how do I make my altar? Well, when I’m on the road, I use whatever’s available to me at the time, along with a hearty dose of creativity. If you look closely at the picture in this post you’ll notice that I cleverly used a guava juice container as a stand to hold my moon blood.
So what to include in your sacred altar? While I can’t tell you exactly (because that’s something that should be personal and unique to you), I will give some suggestions based on how I like to set up my altar...
I place any jewelry, crystals, stones, and seeds that are special to me on the altar. Sometimes I arrange them in a compass shape in alignment with the cardinal directions, North, East, South and West. I like to include any photos that I have of any gurus, saints, deities, gods/goddess, spirit animals, ancestors or relatives, basically anyone and anything special to me that I consider to be a guide. I like to include fruit as an offering to the universe, a thank you for the bounty she provides and also to represent abundance - the idea that when we recognize that we have enough and that we’re provided for, we’re able to let go and give more freely.
It can also be nice to include any of your own artwork and/or writing (or that of others which inspires you). You could even bring some life to your altar by including flowers or plants. Since I’m a fan of balance, I’d probably incorporate both dead and alive plants to represent the dual nature of life. Candles, incense, sage and/or palo santo are essential to clearing the energy and setting space.
A beautiful sister of mine did a “money cleaning ceremony” in her circle, which really resonated with me. Since money passes through many hands, and is given and received with many different intentions, it can accumulate a lot of different energies. So it’s best to use your intention and smoke (from sage, candles, incense, etc.) to clear these energies from this money, (don’t forget your plastic credit and debit cards too!).
I also suggest placing your cell phone on the altar for a clearing as well, since your phone also accumulates lot of energies and you want it to be the purest channel for your communication, right?
So I mentioned “moon blood” earlier. Some of you may have read that and thought “whaaaa?” So allow me to briefly explain. This new moon was special for me, because it was my first time in a long time that my menstruation aligned with the new moon and also the first time I successfully managed to use a “moon cup” to collect my menstrual blood. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the moon cup, it’s a small reusable cup that you insert into your yoni during your moon cycle instead of a tampon. Your blood collects in the cup and you can do whatever you please with it. There are tons of uses for the sacred and powerful blood. One of which is to include it in your own sacred ceremony and return it back to mother earth - so instead of just asking and asking and receiving and receiving from the universe, you’re balancing the relationship a bit by giving a bit of yourself back to her.
On a side note, The cup, unlike tampons is reusable, saves you money, and also significantly reduces environmental waste.
So, I’ll tell a short anecdote about my first experience with this moon cup. After inserting it in the morning I decided to go out for the day, sight-seeing in Dharamshala, India with a local male friend of mine. After about four hours I tried to take out my moon cup only to realize that it had gone pretty deep into my yoni and I could barely graze the end of the stem, much less, get a hold on it to pull it out. I recalled a friend’s traumatizing story about how when this happened to her in Peru she had to go to a hospital and get it pried out with tongs. I was trying to stay relaxed, but the idea of having to go to find a hospital and explain this to a doctor in this small Indian mountain town was pretty scary. I left the bathroom trying to keep it together, and asked to borrow my friend’s phone to look up some help on the internet, being that I had no female support available. When he asked what was going on, I could barely keep it together and all of my emotions came to the surface, tears streaming down my face, and I tried to explain this situation as best I could without giving too much information and “freaking him out,” you know how touchy some men can be when it comes to details about talking about the vagina when it’s not sex related. But luckily he was understanding and empathetic and helped me home, so I could deal with the situation there, alone, with my own internet connection where I could message a girlfriend for moral support and go on the internet and realize that this is actually quite a common issue.
Once I was home and relaxed, I gave a good squat on the bathroom floor and managed to birth out the cup out much more easily than expected. I was both relieved and excited to use my blood in ceremony for the first time.
I found including my blood in my sacred altar and new moon ceremony to be a profound way to honor my cycle, the beautiful miracle that is the female body and our incredible potential to grow life within our bodies, which is the ULTIMATE act of creativity.
So I encourage all women, to make a ceremony during their bleeding time (even if it’s not aligned with the new moon), and even if you’re “not quite there yet” with using your blood. You can still honor your blood without using it in ceremony. It took me a while to be comfortable with the idea of the moon cup and doing something with my blood other than throwing it in the trash. I.e. putting it in the garden (it’s super nourishing for plants). It was a gradual process, shifting my perception of my moon blood from being dirty and an inconvenience to seeing it as sacred, beautiful and powerful. We’re up against a lot of conditioning (since childhood most likely) that we have to look at, and reevaluate if we want to break through it and come to accept and appreciate our body’s natural functions for the miraculous and natural phenomenons that they are.
And like I said, how you make an altar and set sacred space is totally up to you. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Whatever feels right for you. Maybe you’d like to sing, meditate, write a song, a poem, do a dance, write down and burn what no longer serves you, set intentions, pull some tarot cards, do whatever feels right for you.
I also highly encourage sharing the circle or the ceremony with fellow sisters. When you all share your truths, openly and honesty, the support, connection, love, and realizations that come about can be transformational.
The new moon is a time to come inside, to explore our inner life, appreciate and honor the beauty of our natural being.
A peaceful journey to all.
